A play by Tadeusz Slobodzianek

Q&A session with award-winning writer Tadeusz Słobodzianek will follow the play reading.

Co-presented by the Polish Cultural Institute New York.

Following rave reviews at London’s National Theatre and great recognition in Israel and Europe, Our Class comes to The Temple Emanu-El Skirball Center for a one-night-only staged reading featuring a stellar cast including Ellen Burstyn, Alvin Epstein and Kathleen Turner. Making its New York City premiere during the week of Holocaust Remembrance Day, this award-winning play unveils the truth behind a massacre of Jews in Jedwabne, Poland, in 1941.

Set in a Polish classroom made up of both Jewish and Christian students, the play exposes the effects of war, betrayal, cruelty and repression. Winner of Poland’s top literary prize, the staged reading is directed by Drama League Award-nominated Cosmin Chivu.

Optional Free Pre-Show Lecture, 5:30 PM:

To contextualize the play and guide the audience through the history of Jedwabne, a pre-show seminar will be conducted by Dr. Irena Grudzinska-Gross, Princeton University professor and celebrated scholar of Jewish studies specializing in war, violence and nation-state ideologies in East-Central Europe in 20th century.

A multi-Award winner (including an Academy Award for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore) and an inductee into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. Her career includes such classics as The Exorcist, The Last Picture Show, and more recenty: Interstellar.